Hand Up, Olivia Rodrigo is #Good

Straight from my Apple Music.

I just want to get out in front of this, admit I was wrong and reflect on one of my biggest flaws as a human. 

I’m gonna blog it but I have to give my millions of followers a sneak preview…I take back any past Olivia Rodrigo slander…listened to SOUR in its entirety omw home after a day of broing out watching football & I LOVED it. I felt that I can’t even parallel park line in my soul.

— Doz #hiredozo (@DozonLife) September 13, 2021

So the VMAs were last night, but since MTV is irrelevant when it comes to anything that isn't Ridiculousness, I had no idea until it was like half over. Olivia Rodrigo won three VMAs: Best New Artist, Song of the Year, and Push Performance of the Year (WTF does that mean?) which makes my stance at least a little timely.

I say that because earlier when I was hanging with the boys, Olivia Rodrigo came up in conversation. I was kind of a hardo about her music (again) despite never really giving it a chance. I don't absorb much mainstream music (I'm not cool), making me hesitant to "conform." The whole Disney background was a turnoff too; it made me not take her seriously as an artist. The SNL bar skit was the closest I got to actually listening to her music. Honestly, all I really knew about her was Driver License, that iPad commercial that's on every 45 seconds, and that she went to the White House to help Uncle Joe convince the brainwashed that vaccines are a good thing. 

Trust Tree: As someone who deals with Gen Zers for a living, I'm not that fond of them. Despite having more access to technology than any previous generation, they know nothing about anything that happened before they were alive and have stupid hair. ​

Google search: "Tik Tok Boy Hair"

I know; I'm the only person ever who had beef with the generation below them for stupid reasons. I thought it was kind of whack for full-grown adults to be vibing out to some "kid" singing about a fucking license...like they've actually lived and gone through shit. Then I remembered how much I hated adults who treated me like that when I was that age and realized there's a reason so many people fear about becoming their parents; a low-key come to Jesus moment when I said that out loud.
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Like I've done throughout my nearly 30 years of life with countless foods, people, movies, shows, songs, states, family members, etc., I said I don't like something without really giving it a chance. It's an awful trait that I wish I could just erase, but it's easy to generalize and assume when you're lazy. 

One of my few childhood memories I can remember semi-well is saying that I didn't like Finding Nemo before I even saw it because I was 11 and thought I was cool at that age where "I'm not a little kid anymore," then I ended up going to see it and fucking loved it since I have a soul. In school, I'd say I'd hate people that I didn't even know. We'd joke about how I start off hating everybody and how you'd have to "earn" me liking you (like it fucking matters). I'd say I hate foods that I realistically haven't had since I was a kid or just straight up assumed I wouldn't like because they look gross. I did the same with Olivia's tunes. I have to stop abusing the word hate with things; I know it's gonna come back to haunt me with old posts someday. My family has been warning me how I speak since I started talking.

After my friend, who's about to be a father, was like, "I fuck with her," I decided to give Olivia a chance and listened to the whole album on the way home. If his grown ass can get down to it, then who tf am to hate?

I was a big emo kid in late middle and early high school; one of my last screen names was "AvNGedRYanfold." Pop-punk and emo mean a lot to me, and seeing hacks like MGK (I actually did listen to his album and truly hate it) get credit for bringing back the genre rubbed me the wrong way. I just put up a wall for all new emo (I'd say you could classify her as that with the lyrical content). She gives me major Paramore vibes, which I guess isn't exactly the most original take, but again, my bad for being such a judgmental h8r. After all, it's brutal out here.​

P.S. 

I support all people's right to identify with whatever gender they want and agree that the world needs more inclusion. I want people to be comfortable and able to live authentically as themselves. I was down with the Potato Head rebrand because it made sense, but calling a VMA a "Moon Person" instead of a "Moon Man" is a fucking joke. For the sake of alliteration, it sounds way worse, and how does that help anybody? So self-righteous to think this is what's gonna save lives. I know it changed a few years back, but it's just so stupid and disingenuous. Are they gonna start calling Oscars a gender-neutral name? "And the Dana goes too...." The same goes for eliminating gendered award categories. You're only hurting the artists. How are fewer awards a good thing? Have "Best Male," "Best Female," then do a "Best Overall." It's like how the AFC champ plays the NFC champ in the Super Bowl. If you fall under the non-binary umbrella, congrats, you get a bye to  "Best Overall." Problem solved!